Carly Simon's lyrics are about heartache - but physical aches and pains can often be far worse. If you're in chronic pain, it's difficult to enjoy life. All your energy gets diverted to what hurts.

In modern society, we've relied on pharmaceuticals for "fast, temporary relief," which is an empty promise: the pain will return as soon as the palliative effect wears off.

Holistic remedies, by contrast, focus on cause rather than symptoms, and look for where someone's life is out of balance, which created the pain symptom in the first place.
Don't Cure, Prevent!

In ancient China, prevention was a high art. People paid their doctor to keep them well; if you became ill, the doctor's fee stopped until you were healthy again. What a concept! Small wonder that Chinese medicine has flourished for over 5000 years.

Now we're beginning to embrace this perspective in the West. In 1998, the U.S. government established The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), the first time an American governing body formally recognized complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) as a standard of care.

And people's desire to take control of their health through holistic means is mushrooming. Nearly half of all Americans - four in ten - have tried some form of CAM treatment, with acupuncture and acupressure topping the list.

By far, pain is the overarching reason people choose alternative medicine: 55 percent of those seeking help suffer from back or neck pain, joint pain, arthritis, or migraines.

Acupressure works by stimulating the body's own creative energy, known as "chi". Chi flows along twelve main energy pathways, called meridians, which correspond to specific organs and parts of the body. When this energy flow is blocked (due to injury, emotional stress, or an imbalanced lifestyle), you can develop physical ailments as well as mental/emotional symptoms such as depression. Placing pressure on the correct vital points stimulates the energy flow and frees the blockage, unlocking tension and restoring health.

Acupressure focuses on relieving pain and discomfort, as well as responding to tension before it develops into a "dis-ease". In acupressure, it is said, "Pain is the cry of a hungry nerve for want of better blood supply."

However, like most CAM therapies, acupressure isn't a magic bullet; it's a restorative process that produces results over time. Being a quick-fix society, we want to be well now. How to wed the long-term benefits of acupressure with our urge to be well, and well on our way?

Step Up to Wellness

A portable acupressure foot mat combines acupressure, magnet and "pyramid" technologies to help people take charge of their own well being, naturally and conveniently: at home, in just a few minutes a day. Known as the Acufit Mat, the clever design incorporates mini pyramids that you stand on wearing socks. The pyramids activate acupressure points via Reflexology.

Like Chinese medicine, the art of Reflexology has been an accepted healing practice since ancient times. Reflexology operates on the holographic principle that the part stands for the whole: there are reflexes in the feet, hands and ears, which correspond to every gland and organ of the body. Scientific research indicates that information is constantly exchanged between these "reflecting zones" and the organs and systems they represent. Thus, stimulating the reflecting zones can restore health to the entire body.

In fact, the sole of the foot is sometimes referred to as the "second heart," as approximately two-thirds of leg muscles work together to pump blood back toward the heart. Properly pressing and stimulating veins concentrated in the sole promotes the flow of lymph fluid, supporting heart function.

People who practice yoga, visit a chiropractor, or receive massage treatments may be especially good candidates for the Acufit Mat.

Here's what one board-certified Physician's Assistant had to say: "The first time I used the pad, I found a pleasant aftereffect, tingling and definite warmth of the feet. This I believe is from the increased blood flow, which may be promoted by the overall design. Within a few days, I did begin to notice intermittent relief of some lower extremity pain. Based on the medical benefits I have personally witnessed, I would recommend the Acufit foot mat. The pad is very non-invasive and easy to use."

So if you haven't got time for the pain, you can begin to reclaim your health as the ancients did, using modern technology that offers the best of both worlds.

Copyright 2011 by Amara Rose. All rights reserved.

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About the Author

Amara Rose is a "midwife" for our global rebirth. She offers personal and business alchemy to help you create spiritually successful change, including coaching, e-courses, CDs, content development and social media solutions. Learn more at LiveYourLight.com, where you can also subscribe to her inspirational newsletter, What Shines. Reach her at amara@liveyourlight.com or 1-800-862-0157 within the USA.

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